Process of clarifying saccharine or other solutions.



of the process of defecation.

No. "realice UNITED STATES Alisettented. September-272, i

"PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE WATSON DEMIN G, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. "(39,400, dated September 2v2, 1903. n

Applicant filed March 31,1902. seri/t1 N6. ioasls, (No specimens.)

To all whom it m/a/y concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE WATsoNDEM- ING, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Clarifying Saccharine or other Solutions, of which the following is a specification. A Y

lThis invention relates to an improved process of treating solutions. to remove impurities held in suspension therein, and-isespecially intended for the treatment of. saccharine so-A lutions to separate therefrom the solid parti-v cles which are coagulated by heat and the reagents commonly used in thejearlier stages this process the saccharine solution brought fromv any source of supply-for example, the digester andsuperheater shown in my Patent No. 531,460-is carried along a passage beneath which isa series of 4successive collect-Y ing-chambers, 'the rate of How, temperature,

and pressure being so regulated that the fold 1, along the bottom of which Yis a series of conical outlets 2, eachV outletcommuni'cating with a verticaltubularcollecting-charn;`

ber 3, The body of the'manifoldand thei of a tapering neck 6,.secured to the tubularV chamber by a threaded sleeve Tand carrying at its lower end a' discharge-valve 8. Each end of the manifold is provided with a head, secured thereto by anges and bolts. The

heads of the manifold have, respectively, suitable inlet and outlet openings 9 l0 near the upper part of the manifold-chamber. Both the manifold and collecting chambers are shown covered with a layer of non-con "and under a corresponding pressure.

According to,

ducting material 1l toretain the heat in the lution to be clariedtaken, `for example, from the .digester` and superheater-enters ,through inlet 9 under a. temperature considerablyabovefits atmospheric boiling-pointe fonexarpple, from 220 to 270`^Fahrenheit The pressu reinthis apparatus may in some cases be desirably maintained at `aY considerably higher Vpoint than that necessary to prevent rebullition.;

. 4The coagulated impurities in the solution from the digester and superheater may be said to'exist'in three general forms-one portion-consisting of a relativelyl heavy grannlar precipitate which readilyk settles to the bottom of 'the tank; a second port-ion which would accumulate on the surface of the solu-l tion if vboiled in an open tank, but of such ,v specific gravity as to readily precipitate from a quietly-.moving body of the solution, and a l' third portion in the form of afine feculent substance, which it is usually very difficult to precipitate or remove. -Theheavier impu-` 'rities settle Ainto the first collecting-chamber,

while lighter impurities passen and settle inter-successive chambers, `thefullyclariied solution'inally escaping' through outlet 10.

The' length of the manifold and the number of collecting-chambers are vthus conditioned by the amount and natureiofthe impurities to bel removed. The solid matter in the collect- Aing-chambers is removedfro'm time to time or continuously throughthe yalvedfbutlets 8 and may pass Vthence to thejfilter-presses, the expressed liquid being added-to the clear liquid drawn from the settling-tank.

The process is preferably carried out with a continuous flow-throughth'e manifoldybut this is not essential, and the liow may be intermittent. Even if the flow be intermittent the sedimentation proceeds during the fr- Ward movement of the solution. The nonconducting material shown on the manifold and collecting chambers may in some cases be omitted;

In treating saccharine solutions, and in some cases in treating non-saccharine solu- In the use of this apparatus in sugar-houses the so- IOO are still suspended in the. liquid, there results a liberation of gas throughout the body of the liquid, and such gas adhering in the form of bubbles to the suspended impurities reduces their specific gravity to such extent as to render their separation by gravity practically impossible. By maintaining the liquid under pressure, however, such liberation of gasbubbles is avoided and the impurities settle readily, leaving the body of the liquid clear. By maintaining this pressure in a moving column of the liquid there results a continuous process, with its Well-known advantage and economy.

The separate collection of heavier and lighter impurities possesses several advan` tages. In the treatment of many liquids such separate collection corresponds to an actual reduction of the quantity of the material to be subsequently handled by the filter-presses or analogous devices, for the reason that some grades of the material will be so nearly valueless that they may be discarded. Furthermore, in all cases, and more particularly in the treatment of sugar solutions, there exists a marked derence in the facility with which the heavier and lighter impurities are handled by the presses. The heavier and more granular portions of the precipitate are ltered off with comparative ease, and the capacity of the presses is greatly increased by` their separate collection and treatment. The construction of the apparatus oers the further advantage that it comprises a unit which is capable of indefinite multiplication to provide a settling-tank of any desired capacity.

I claiml. The herein-described method, which consists in heating a liquid containing impurities under pressure to a temperature above its atmospheric boiling-point, and settlingimpurities from a moving column of said liquid while retainingit under pressure, as set forth.

2. The herein-described method, which consists in heating a liquid containing impurities under pressure to a temperature above its atmospheric boiling-.poiuhsettling impurities from a moving column of said liquid While retaining it under pressure, and separately collecting the heavier and lighter irnpurities, as set forth.

3. The herein-described method of treating impure saccharine solutions, Which consists in heating the same to a temperature above their atmospheric boilingpoint to coagulate impurities contained therein, and settling said impurities from a moving column of said solution While retaining the same under pressure, as set forth.

4. The herein-described method of treating impure saccharine solutions, which consists in heating the same to a temperature above their atmospheric boiling-point to coagulate impurities contained therein, settling said impurities from a moving column of said solution while retaining the same under pressure, and separately collecting the heavier and lighter impurities, as set forth.

5. The herein-described method of separating solids from liquids, which consists in maintaining the liquid at a pressure above normal and at a temperature above its atmospheric boiling point, and settling the solids from a moving column of said liquid, as set forth.

6. The herein-described method of separating solids from liquids, which consists in maintaining the liquid at a pressure above normal and at a temperature above its atmospheric boiling-point, settling the solids from a moving column of said liquid, and separately collecting the heavier and lighter solids, as set forth. 4

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE WATSON DEMlNG.

lVitnesses:

RICHARD PEARCE, RUFUs E. FOSTER. 

